Ukrainian intelligence intercepted and released audio of a telephone conversation between Russian officials in which they say they were the ones who blew up the Kakhovka dam and not the Ukrainians. This is reported by Rbc-Ukraine. "It wasn't them (the Ukrainians) who hit the dam. There is our sabotage group. They wanted to scare people with this dam. It did not go according to plan, but more than they had anticipated," says the intercepted Russian military officer describing the aftermath of the explosion.
In the translation of the audio from Russian made by the Guardian, the first military states: "The main problem is that the hydroelectric plant cools their nuclear reactor (of the Zaporizhzhia power plant)." And the second replies: "No problem. It's going to explode and it's all over." First Russian soldier: "So it was ours. It's not them (the Ukrainians), it's ours." And the other says, "Really, was it ours? They said it was the khokhol (a derogatory term for Ukrainians) who blew it up." And the first soldier: "They didn't blow it up. Our group of saboteurs is there. They wanted to cause fear with this dam. It didn't go according to plan. (the result is) more than they had anticipated." And the other: "Yes, well, of course. It's going to be like Chernobyl, right?" The first soldier: "It was built in the 50s. It went down fast, it went down (the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station)."
The blame game continues on the dam, with Moscow and Kiev accusing each other of bombing evacuation areas. For Ukrainians the toll is 5 dead and 13 missing, while Moscow reports 8 victims.
The Norwegian Institute of Seismology (Norsar) detected "an explosion" coming from Ukraine's Kakhovka Dam region before the moment of collapse. This figure does not attribute an origin to the explosion, it supports the idea that the hydroelectric dam, located in an area under Russian control, did not give way due to the damage suffered during the bombings of the previous months.
THE COUNTEROFFENSIVE
"Very brutal battles are underway, but we are seeing results," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last night, stressing that Kiev's forces could gain territory in the Donetsk region, which is largely occupied by Russia. This was reported by the Kyiv Independent.
"They continue to bomb Kherson and communities in the region, which have already been invaded by terrorists. They are also bombing evacuation points, a manifestation of evil that perhaps no terrorist in the world, except Russian ones, has ever done," Zelensky added on his Telegram channel this morning.
More than 40 firefights between Ukrainian and Russian forces have taken place in the past 24 hours in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, the Kiev Army General Staff said in its daily report on the conflict. "The enemy continues to focus its main efforts in the directions of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka, heavy fighting continues. In the last 24 hours, 43 clashes took place in these areas of the front," the report said.
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The situation is tense in all areas of the front," Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar wrote on Telegram, pointing out that the Russians are failing to achieve their goals. "The east is the epicenter" of the clashes, comments the deputy minister. "The enemy continues to concentrate its main efforts in the directions of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Maryinka, and heavy fighting continues," he added. In all directions, the enemy conducts air, artillery and mortar attacks. However, the enemy fails to achieve his goals. Our defenders repel attacks."
"In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy is amassing reserves and trying to hold positions. He tries to attack, but fails. Our defenders are currently engaged in active fighting in different areas of the Bakhmut sector," continues Malyar. In the south, he concludes, "the enemy is conducting defensive operations in the Zaporizhzhia sector. Position fighting continues."
ANSA Agency
Ukrainian intelligence intercepts Russian officers, 'we hit the dam' - Politics
The media publish the audio of the telephone conversation, after Moscow denied being responsible for the fact (ANSA)
"Active fighting" has been going on since the early hours of today in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian occupation administration official Vladimir Rogov said. "Currently fighting has resumed in Orikhiv and Tokmak districts," on the current front line, Rogov wrote on Telegram. He did not provide further details, but according to Alexander Sladkov, a correspondent for Russian public television, which runs a Telegram channel followed by more than a million people, Russian and Ukrainian "artillery" are at work, with Kiev troops he says are on the offensive.
In its daily bulletin published on Friday morning, the Ukrainian army made no reference to the fighting. "The enemy remains on the defensive," the Ukrainian command wrote on Facebook about the situation of the front in the Zaporizhia region
In addition, according to reports of Russian military bloggers the Ukrainian army in the course of heavy fighting at night managed to seize the positions occupied by three Kremlin regiments in the Zaporizhzhia region. The fiercest battles began at three in the morning near
Novodanilovka, reports Grey zone on Telegram, reporting that Kiev troops occupied the positions of the outposts of the 291st Rifle Regiment, the 70th Regiment and the 42nd Rifle Division of the Russian South Military District.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force announced that its air defense destroyed 10 Russian drones and 4 X-101/X-55 cruise missiles last night, pointing out that Russian forces launched up to 16 drones and six cruise missiles on the country. This is reported by Rbc-Ukraine.
In particular, the Russian military carried out a missile attack on the community of Zviahel, in the northern Ukrainian region of Zhytomyr, killing one person and leaving several other wounded. This was reported this morning by the Ukrinform agency, citing local authorities.
"Following another enemy missile attack, a residential area of our community's private sector was hit during the night of June 9. According to initial information, six buildings were destroyed and dozens of others were damaged. Unfortunately, one person was killed. There are also injured people, who are receiving all the necessary assistance," reads a statement from the Zviahel City Council posted on Facebook.
